Wheeled luggage is well-known in the art, such articles of luggage being towed behind a user by means of a strap or cord attached to the article of luggage at a forward end thereof.
Typically, such articles of luggage are of elongate rectangular, or approximately rectangular, transverse cross-section, thus presenting an elongate rectangular or substantially rectangular base. A pair of wheels or rollers is located near one end of the base, the wheels or rollers being mounted for rotation on positionally fixed axles. At the opposite end of the base, there is provided a caster wheel in order to permit ready turning of the case in a following motion as it is towed behind the user.
Luggage of this type is in common usage at such places as airports, railroad stations and bus stations, the luggage then being checked in for transport to the selected remote location.
Checking in of the luggage, and the subsequent handling and storage of the luggage for transportation requires that the luggage be substantially free of external protrusions, in order to minimize the possibility of damage to the luggage during transportation, and, damage to adjacent pieces of luggage during handling and transportation.
Commonly, such articles of luggage are quite large, and, particularly for holiday travelers, may be heavily stuffed and thus quite weighty. Such heavy articles of luggage tend to be unstable while being towed and are readily prone to tipping over, particularly in the event that the user imposes a sharp turn on the article of luggage during towing, the center of gravity of the filled article of luggage lying at any random point within the confines of the article of luggage. Such tipping over of the luggage during towing, not only constitutes an annoyance to the person towing the luggage, but also, can cause accidents and injury in the event that the luggage falls onto a person's leg or feet.
It has been prior proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,096,768, issued Oct. 26, 1937 in the name of H. H. Styll to provide an expandable article of luggage with stabilizers to prevent tipping over of the article of luggage when in an expanded condition, the stabilizers being retracted to beneath the case by a cam mechanism at the time the article of luggage is collapsed from its expanded to its contracted position.
While such a mechanism has merit, it cannot accommodate the requirements for luggage that is to be transported in a fully expanded condition, in that at such times, the stabilizers would be rigidly held in an extended position, and thus be prone to damage during handling of the luggage, and, prone to damage other luggage being transported in the same batch.